The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 reports that every two in five women aged 20-24 in Bihar were married before reaching the legal minimum age of 18 years. But what are the real consequences for girls who are married off at such a young age?
“They are traumatised for life,” says Roshni Perween, a victim of child marriage herself.
Hailing from a small village of Simalbari of Kishanganj, Roshni was leading a regular life until she reached class nine.
“Suddenly, my parents started getting a lot of marriage proposals for me. I had my whole future in front of me. I had not even completed my board exams. Despite a lot of opposition, I was married off,” she recalls.
Upon reaching her new home, Roshni discovered that her husband was 45 years old — three times her age! “I was very young and knew nothing about life after marriage. My husband forced himself on me and I was shocked to my core,” she adds.
After three months, Roshni ran away and returned to her parents’ home. “Some time later, I found out that I was pregnant with his child. A few months later, I gave birth to my son. I was not ready to go back to that hell, but I was forced to return to his house. When I went back, my husband did not accept me, as I had been away for a year,” she shares.
Despite facing unimaginable challenges and hardships, including rejection by her own family and societal stigma, Roshni refused to succumb to despair. She bravely walked away from an abusive marriage. At 15, with the responsibility of raising a newborn, she started working at a showroom, determined to create a better future for herself and her son.
Now 24, Roshni has become a beacon of hope for rural girls in Bihar. Driven by her harrowing challenges and personal struggles, she has dedicated herself to rescuing girls from the clutches of trafficking and preventing child marriages in her community.
From survivor to advocate: How Roshni is empowering young girls
In 2018, Roshni joined forces with Childline India Foundation, where she discovered a community of women who shared similar harrowing experiences. “I learnt that there were similar women like me. I was not alone. I thought, why don’t I become a voice for such women?” she says.
This marked the beginning of her transformation from a survivor to a fierce advocate for women’s rights.
Through collaborations with organisations such as Save The Children and UNICEF, she spearheaded initiatives to raise awareness about the dangers of early marriage and empower young girls to reclaim their futures. “While working with them, I was able to prevent 12 child marriages in Khagaria,” she says.
In 2022, her unwavering commitment and tireless efforts were recognised on a global stage when she was honoured by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. This prestigious award not only acknowledged her remarkable achievements but also served as a testament to the power of one individual’s determination to effect positive change.
Over the years, Roshni has developed a strong base in schools and communities by creating 15 adolescent girls groups in villages such as Simalwari, Bagalwari, Maheshbhatna, Kochadhaman, Bahadurganj, Dighalbank.
“With the help of these public representatives, I get to know about any planned child marriages in villages. After I am informed about any such event, I reach out to the parents of the girl and try to convince them about the perils of early marriage. Through counselling alone, we have prevented 20 marriages,” she shares.
“When counselling alone is insufficient, I seek help from the district administration. I inform the district magistrate, SDM (sub divisional magistrate), BDO (block development officer), police, CDPO (Child Development Project Officer), and other officers,” she adds.
“They tell the parents that the administration will file an FIR against the family, as child marriage is a punishable offence. We then get an affidavit signed by the parents stating that they’ll not marry off their daughters until they are 18,” she informs.
Musfiq, Block Welfare Officer foe Bahadurganj and Dighalbank, says, “Our main focus is on awareness and counselling families and young children. It is not an easy work but we are actively working with Roshni, who herself knows the perils of child marriage. Compared to other NGOs, she is actively engaged on ground. We also focus on giving direction to children by educating them about various government welfare schemes.”
Through counselling, advocacy, and community engagement, she has successfully prevented over 60 child marriages in the past two years, transforming the lives of countless young girls in the process.
5 steps towards combatting child marriage in India
Roshni assists families of girls in availing welfare schemes such as housing under Indira Awaas Yojana and ration cards for Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. She also helps them with skill development by enrolling them in the Kaushal Yuva Program, beauty parlours, and stitching centres so that they are no longer seen as a ‘burden’ to the family.
However, this journey towards empowering young girls has not been easy for Roshni. “I have been labelled characterless because I left my abusive husband. As I was unable to build a family of my own, people say I don’t want other girls to settle,” she says.
Despite facing a set of challenges, opposition, criticism, and accusations, Roshni remains undeterred in her mission to create a child marriage-free India. She shares five key strategies to create a safer and more inclusive environment for young girls:
- Advocating for stronger laws and setting up a dedicated team to respond to emergencies in a timely manner.
- Integrating women’s rights education in school curricula so that young girls are aware of their rights.
- Activating existing child protection committees at village, block, wards, and district levels by conducting monthly review meetings.
- Establishing adolescent groups composed of champions from similar backgrounds to raise awareness and promote skill development among girls so that they can pursue a future full of opportunities.
- Conducting regular follow ups with young girls after preventing their early marriages.
Roshni’s vision of a child marriage-free India is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact that one individual can have on society. “When I was married off and got pregnant at a young age, I lost my motive to live. But helping these young girls break free from the shackles of early marriage has given me a purpose. Now, I have only one dream — to see a child marriage-free India in my lifetime,” she says.
If you want to support Roshni in her vision of making India free from child marriage and empowering rural girls, you can contribute at:
Account details:
Bank Name: State Bank of India
A/C Title: Janta Express Welfare Foundation
A/C No: 43087579495
IFSC Code: SBIN0061585
UPI ID: supportforpoverty@sbi
Edited by Arunava Banerjee. All photos: Roshni Perween.
